Joys

M stood by the gate of the playground, peering out into the parking-lot. When she was sure that it was indeed Sophie & me walking towards her, she waved her arms & jumped around, doing a full-body happy-dance, a kind of crazily modified jumping jacks of joy. Soph calmly walked in to school, walked up to her best friend, then mirrored her wild-monkey happy-dance.

Preschool love is adorable.

On other days, we enter the playground and M and 2 other girls all come barreling towards us, squealing, “SOPHIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!”

I’m not quite sure what it would feel like to be greeted like that every day. Is my daughter getting a big ego? Am I going to be able to handle having a popular girl in my family? It’s foreign to me, but, for now, it is incredibly delightful to watch Sophie’s friendships blossoming.

That’s not even M in the photo; that’s other classmates of Sophie’s.

Everett has his own joys. Things that make him do his exuberant happy-dance, lately: looking at me, looking at Ben, or looking at the white grinder where we mush & puree his food. Also, getting placed on his bike-seat.

Things that make him turn absolutely silent, concentrating deeply on taking it all in: watching our cat, rubbing his fleece blanket on his cheeks, watching Sophie, or watching a pigeon. It’s fascinating to watch his own fascination. He’s got Sophie’s coloring and her giant blue eyes, but his adoration of animals is all his own.